The Decision
by Spooky1
Summary: A decision Kathryn has to make after arriving back Home. This is only the second story that i wrote and that was several years ago!


Disclaimers: Paramount owns the characters and the ship, I own the ideas

Rating: G, I think.

The Decision

Despite all the decisions that Kathryn Janeway had made in her life she believed this was one of the hardest choices she had ever been faced with. Right up there with what to do with the caretaker's array.

She could either stay behind a desk for the rest of her career with the pips of an admiral on her collar or take an unknown ship and an unknown crew on a two-year mission back to the nearest sectors of the Delta Quadrant. To start exploring the part of the DQ they had missed with their final huge leap that had taken Voyager and her crew home.

She would love to go and explore the sectors they had skipped but after 7 years on Voyager she wasn't sure she could feel comfortable on a different starship. And then there was her family, she had only returned six months ago, could she really leave them again so soon? And what about her crew? Tom and B'Ellana's baby was due in two months. But most of all the chance of her seeing Chakotay again would be even slimmer than they were now.

But being an admiral? Stuck in a stuffy office every day till she retired. She was born to explore space, could she really give that up?

She had contacted Tuvok it was usually talking to him that would sort her mind out and help her come to a decision but this time he had told her he couldn't help as he could show no emotional response to the problem. She found this slightly strange as Tuvok always had a logical answer to everything.

Usually this would leave Chakotay, his challenging but stable nature had changed her mind plenty of times but she always came out with the right decision. But she hadn't seen him since the last debriefing. She could even go as far as to say they had been avoiding each other. Why? She didn't know.

Sighing she finished her coffee, returned the empty mug to the replicator and made her way to her sleeping area.

When she opened her eyes she was lying on the ground at the coast where Chakotay had first introduced her to her spirit guide. She sat up and turned around to see her guide sitting on a rock in the shade.

"What do you think I should do?"

She asked the small reptile knowing that she wouldn't be able to leave until she had made a decision.

"Go where your heart lies,"

It always surprised her when her animal guide spoke. She began to reply but the reptile interrupted her.

"And at the moment your heart lies in the stars,"

With that her spirit guide darted off to some bushes.

"My heart was lost a long time ago,"

She whispered after the retreating animal.

"Well it's time to find it,"

Came the reply before her guide disappeared altogether.

And that was how Captain Kathryn Janeway came to be exiting the shuttle bay aboard Deep Space Nine two months later.

She had met most of her crew now, a few were from Voyager including Tuvok but the majority was made up of people that had never been near to the Delta Quadrant.

Sitting in her ready room she was already not impressed with her first officer who was an hour late in boarding.

_I can tell there will be fireworks between me and this guy,_ she thought.

The beeping of her Comm badge interrupted her thoughts.

_"Captain"_

The _human_ doctor's voice filled the room.

_"Your first officer has arrived and wishes to speak to you" _

"Put him through"

_"Captain"_

The captain was startled by the familiarity in the mans voice but dismissed it as one of the many people she had met since her return.

_"I'm really sorry I'm late my friend has just had her baby"_

"Apology accepted. Report to the bridge."

She sympathised with him, she had received news that morning that B'Ellana had had her baby and she wouldn't get a chance to she the child until they returned.

She heard the turbo lift doors open as she settled in her new command chair so she ordered them out of space dock.

_Right _she thought to her spirit guide _Where's my heart!_

"Kathryn?"

Snapping out of her thoughts she looked up and realised for the first time who her first officer was.

"Chakotay!"

_Damn that reptile's efficient!_

~~~Finis~~~

  
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